


Regard

by loadedcasserole



Category: The Transformers (IDW Generation One), Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Deadlock is a fragger when he wants to be, Gen, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-19
Updated: 2017-05-19
Packaged: 2018-11-02 16:09:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10948035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/loadedcasserole/pseuds/loadedcasserole
Summary: Escaped Autobot.  All soldiers with non-essential tasks, including those slotted off-duty, are to search until the prisoner is captured.  Prisoner termination will not be tolerated.Great.  Now instead of tumbling into recharge, as Deadlock had planned, he'd be spending the next few hours on a great big hunt.  All because some idiot couldn't lock a cell right.





	Regard

Alarms blared throughout the ship, quickly followed by a data packet sent by the residing command.

_ Escaped Autobot.  All soldiers with non-essential tasks, including those slotted off-duty, are to search until the prisoner is captured.  Prisoner termination will not be tolerated. _

Great.  Now instead of tumbling into recharge, as Deadlock had planned, he'd be spending the next few hours on a great big hunt.  All because some idiot couldn't lock a cell right.

Already he could hear doors being beaten upon down the hall, intent on driving out anyone still on a recharge slab.  They wouldn't dare approach his quarters, but staying in wasn't an option. He had no doubt that his absence would be noted.  

High time for a recharge cycle or not, he couldn't have Turmoil think he'd gotten lazy.  He was next up for helm duty and couldn’t expect any leniency just because he had been shorted on rest.

He yanked his pedes away from the berth he had been meandering for and left his room quickly, eager to get the search over with.  His limbs slightly dragged at the movement.

It had been a busy time for everyone ever since they had overtaken an Autobot base four days ago.  The base had had quite a cache of equipment and munitions to seize, and most of the crew had been relegated to transferring the items onboard.  He had been tasked with locating any Autobots in hiding, and while the job was something he frequently relished, he had had his fill of it by now thank you very much.  All he was truly interested in, at the moment, was taking time to himself.

Unfortunately, as appealing as it sounded to find himself a private closet to snooze in until someone else found the wayward 'Bot, he really was the best mech for the job. If he managed to catch the fragger, who knew, it might earn him back some lost hours.  Perhaps extra energon too.  

Turmoil, as much as the crew hated him and his low tolerance for anything viewed as incompetent, did grant rewards from time-to-time.  What better reason to distribute rewards than for correcting someone else's fuckup?  Not to mention that it could put him a page above his current standing in Turmoil's book.

He wasn't looking for great approval from his captain, but he was beginning to tire of having Turmoil on his back.  Deadlock had gained nothing but scrutiny from Turmoil for the last several deca-cycles, and while he had found it appropriate and almost welcome at the time, he could now say that the attention was proving tiresome.

Superiors were much harder to overthrow when they were on to you.

He skimmed the brief description of the Autobot in the file.  

Seemed like they managed to pick up a medic.  Lucky.  Now the capture-not-kill orders made more sense.  Crew health had gone to slag ever since their sole surgeon was killed.   Deadlock made a note to check himself in with the 'Bot when he could find the time.  It would be nice to have something done about the persistent ache in his leg.

He joined the search and began with the obvious places, poking into suspicious ventilation grates, checking every shadowed area he came across, and giving a thorough exam of the escape pods just in case something was missed.  Many had the same idea and he passed by several crew members in the middle of their own investigations, but it didn't deter him. 

Their methods were largely cursory, few thought that  _ they _ could be the one to catch an escapee on a ship crawling with Decepticons. It wasn't a completely incorrect assumption to make, but it was infuriating in Deadlock’s opinion. Yes, he would like to be the one to catch the Autobot, but he could deal with a ship-wide search that ended quickly.

It was a shame the cameras were fritzing. It would have made ship-wide intervention entirely unnecessary.  Unfortunately, a canny Autobot had found their way into the ship’s systems and trashed whatever he could get his paws on.  The gas analyzer, navigation, and humidity systems had also taken a hit. The damage hadn’t been very severe thankfully, the Autobot hadn’t had the skill necessary to truly make head-way, but it would take time to completely purge the aggravating code.  In the meantime, they were stuck using their own senses, and the comms, for reliable security.

He traveled lower into the ship and visited the site where the escape had occurred.  He hadn’t expected to find much. After all, he was far from the first person to think to check the area, but he was surprised at the scene.   A soldier laid in the spot, taking up much of the hall space and hadn't been dead long enough to go completely grey.

The medic had bite to him.

After that, he kept his guns primed.  It wasn’t recommended to keep them hot for long periods, but replacing burnt components later would be far easier than tending battle damage.

For hope of a clue, he took to questioning the other remaining prisoners.  The prisoners remained adamantly close-lipped on the subject, but it ultimately didn't much matter what they had to say.  They apparently hadn't seen the escaped medic in cycles and weren’t likely to know anything useful.

Deadlock didn't have any luck until he caught a glimmer in the corner of his vision.

Broken glass.

The floor he was on happened to be where the command deck was also located, and while the rest of the ship had a more ragged state and had bits of debris that went unnoticed, Turmoil made sure that this level stayed in perfect condition.

Dust, grime, and certainly not glass were tolerated.

There was but one door nearby, leading to a room that would soon house a briefing chamber.  Inside, from what he remembered, there held a mass of half-constructed furniture, and entire sections of wall missing, in order to better install equipment.  

It would be an alluring space for an escapee. Lots of places to duck into and an ideal position if he decided to risk contacting his allies through the command center.

Deadlock's exhaustion began to dissipate.  The thought of his quarry so near brought out of surge of energy that made his lines run hot.

He held his gun at the ready and opened the door.

He was unsurprised to find silence.  Not a chair or table looked out of place, but that didn't mean much.  The state of disarray would allow a lot to go unnoticed.

Deadlock secured the door behind him with a ping.  No chance of flight.

That is, if there was anything here to begin with.

He took stock of the bright illumination in the area.  Lights didn't consume all that much power, but it was expected to turn them off after leaving a room.

He smiled.

Lights also discouraged mechs from utilizing their night-vision sensors.

He sent a command to the lights and shut off his own bio-lighting, bringing the room into complete darkness.  He rescanned the room.  Deadlock dialed up his optics to their most sensitive range.  

All mechs were conscious of the light they naturally put out, and most could manage to shut them off when needed.  Less known was that cybertronians also had a small degree of light they emitted from the seams of their armour.  Ordinarily unseen, it was a light granted by the slightest trace of glowing energon. All it took was a small smear on the lips from refueling, or tiny drops gained by tussling with a guard, or even nicks to fuel lines from a shattered windshield.

The optical arrays required to take advantage of this fact were far from usual among soldiers and, more importantly, the light emissions were not easy to erase without the use of washracks or ample wet cloths.   Not something the medic would have on hand if his subspace had already been pilfered. If the guards had done even half their job right, then Deadlock might have some luck. 

There, leaning against the wall, was a large metal sheet, its edge putting off a very soft glow.

Funny, he hadn't pegged it for a space big enough for any mech.

He approached the piece of metal softly, fully intending to give its occupant a good surprise.

_ Deadlock!  Report! _

He jumped, startled at the comm.   _ Yes! _

Turmoil spat,  _ I said report slaggit! _

_ Well . . . uh yes, I'm following up on- I mean, I'm still looking for him, sir. Earlier I- _

_ Following up on what? _

Frag, he didn't want to notify Turmoil on the matter until he had the Autobot secured.  It did nothing for him to hand his captain mere  _ information _ .

Speaking of, the prisoner had decided that he didn't much care for Deadlock's presence and the glow began to slowly recede.  Strange.  He must be positioned right in front of a wall opening.  It was a poor choice.  The fragger would have had a better chance if he fought outright.  Once inside, it would be very difficult to come out, save the way he came.

After a moment, he managed to work out something reasonably coherent,  _ I found something, and I'm checking it out, just to be sure. _

_ I'll send someone your way then, in case it's needed. _

_ It's not. _

_ Deadlock.   _ A warning.

_ Alright, I'll be waiting for them, _ he snapped and shut off his comms.

He belatedly considered that he wasn't really doing his best to stay on Turmoil's good side.  

He approached the wall and kicked aside the sheet noisily in frustration.  His sneaking had already been shot and it wasn't like he could get the prisoner to forget he was there.  Best to cut to the chase and bag him. Like frag if he was going to let someone else take half the credit.

Pit, Turmoil was probably just sending someone to keep an eye on Deadlock and make sure he wasn't doing something he shouldn't.  Fragger.

The movement revealed a large hole.  It was a small space with hardly any depth, just two steps in and he could kiss the inner-wall.  Once inside, there would be no room to even turn around, and if a support beam was met, there would be no way to move further within.  

Deadlock leaned inside.  It was a miracle that anything could fit in here.  With all of Deadlock's kibble, he would have been hard pressed to make any progress.

A very soft clink was heard to his left side.  It wasn’t a purposeful noise, or the sound of a settling ship. 

No matter how hard a mech tried to entirely freeze up, something was going to give.

Oh, there went the prisoner’s fans, starting at a stutter and then tumbling into a low roar.  The medic knew he was caught.  Idiot should have had that all figured out when Deadlock entered the hole, but fleeing Autobots didn’t have a lick of common sense.

He turned to the source.  His sight immediately recaught the glow from before and looked into the dimmed, wide optics of the prisoner.

"Hi," he said with a wide grin. "You gonna come out?"

No movement.

He reached his arm out toward the medic, only realizing half-way through the gesture how easily he came up short.  

There was barely a reaction, the medic gave the merest jolt of surprise and quickly aborted an attempt to move farther within.  He guessed they were having nearly as hard a time with maneuvering as he would have had he been deeper inside.

From what little he could see, even though the prisoner was stiffer than a locked joint, he could detect that the systems within were busy.  Already, Deadlock was seeing faint light buildup as the mech's normal luminescence slowly came back online.  The scare must have involuntarily released the medic's stealth settings.  Not like they would do much good now anyway.

"You look a little stuck," he observed.  

A wicked thought crossed his mind and he pulled away from the cavity.  He patted lightly at the edge of the hole. "But hey, it's alright.  I'll tell you what, I'm going to help you a bit."

Deadlock moved himself a few units to the left of the Autobot's position.  He leveled his weapon at the paneling.

A shout could minutely be heard over the loud release of energy. Rogue drops of slag and debris flew from the force of the blast.

He was disappointed to find that it only took one bolt from his gun to get the prisoner moving, the frantic scrabbling inside the space made him wistful for more.

Well.  There really was no rule saying he couldn't.

He released a few more beams of energy, careful not to accidentally maim the medic within. The shots did well to pierce and melt the metal it came in contact with, leaving red, oozing holes in their wake.

Within moments, the mech shot out of his hole, stumbling.

Before they could get far, Deadlock gave a solid kick to the side.  The 'Bot hit the ground hard with a shout and Deadlock launched on top of him.  He pinned the mech quickly with a knee lodged into the spine.

Sirens and lights suddenly flared.

Deadlock gave a hard jolt in surprise, audials ringing.  It loosened his hold just enough for the 'Bot to wrench an arm free and thrash violently, but Deadlock wasn't going to have any of that.  He pressed his weight down harder and grasped the mech's helm.   

Deadlock slammed the medic's head down with as much force as he could muster.  Bright energon exploded across the floor.

The sirens ceased, but Deadlock smashed his helm again for good measure.  

Teach him not to pull a stunt like that again.

He leaned onto the mech’s helm and torso, facilitating a low groan of pain beneath him.  A low voice, made thick with the wet and a slur, wormed its way into his audials, "-rrender.  I . . . I won't fight.  Hnnn- won't run . . . "

He snorted.  As if the mech could get far in his condition. "Good to hear."  Deadlock shifted his substantial weight across his back to gather up limp arms into a set of cuffs.

He eyed the puddle of energon below.

He didn’t think that he had put in enough force to damage an optic, but he had been a little in the moment there.  

Pit, he couldn’t go to Turmoil with a busted up medic.

He flipped the mech over and grabbed at his jaw.  Deadlock’s hands didn’t quite want to grip onto the energon-slick surface, but he managed to pull the mech closer without a slip.

Immediately seen on the medic’s face was a long dermal tear, primarily across the nasal ridge but it extended nearly to his chevron.  It generously poured fluid, but Deadlock figured it would be a long while yet before the medic was at risk of energon loss.

He flicked a finger at the closed optics in annoyance.  “Hey, look at me.”

Optics opened and then snapped shut at Deadlock’s close proximity.  Deadlock pried at them, thoroughly fed up.

Ah.  The prisoner didn't like that.  Either out of belligerence or fear, he tried to twist his head away only to meet Deadlock's hard grip. He had the wild, jerking force of a mech that wasn't entirely coordinated and probably more than a little dazed.

Deadlock only managed a glance at each optic, but it was enough.  They were fine.

He vented, relieved.

With that out of the way, another concern came to mind, now that he had half a moment to notice it.

His servos wandered over a chevron.

The energon coating the mech's face was more than enough for Deadlock's light-sensitive optics to map out many of the details below, but it wasn't a very clear picture.  Energon puddled and moved at the slightest dip and was brighter in inconsistent areas.  Regardless, it struck a memory.

He commanded the lights on.  It immediately improved his perception, and verified a suspicion.

He knew this frame-type.

It wasn't the exact same, the kibble wasn’t quite right, but even so, it was the closest resemblance he had seen to the old medic he had met in Rodion so long ago.  It had been many vorns since he had last spotted a bot so similar.  

The data-packet had only specified that a medic was loose onboard, not what they looked like.  Unlike Decepticons, Autobot's tried to give their medic's some uniformity and everyone knew what to expect one to look like, and even if they didn't, the ship's crew had traveled together long enough to immediately recognize someone that wasn't their own.  Had he known that this was what waited for him at the end of the trail, he might have tried to be a little less zealous.

Or maybe not.  What would getting on good terms with a look-alike do for him?

Absolutely nothing.

The resemblance did lean far into the uncanny side though.

Ratchet had somehow managed to survive the war, but last Deadlock had heard he was the Autobot CMO.  He would be surrounded by ranking command staff, at some highly contested portion of the galaxy, not a backwater base with nobodies in the middle of damned nowhere. 

The Autobots could be planning a move, he supposed. It wasn't impossible.  It was very unlikely, but not impossible. The war had been heating up recently, and if the Autobots had suffered enough losses, it was a matter of time before they pulled back to recoup.  A move to a far off installation had as many merits as it did inconveniences.  Safety for one thing, personally overseeing the development of the base, and trading out soldiers for fresh combatants to name a few.

The idea took hold.  Just who did he have here?

He loosened his grip and held the prisoner in a lighter vice.  The medic looked confused and no less alarmed by the careful attention.

“What’s your name?”

He wasn't answered immediately.  The head trauma had probably made the mech slow on the uptake.  Actually, there was a good chance that the medic hadn't heard the question in the first place.

Deadlock repeated himself, taking care to articulate each word slowly.  With only a few seconds of delay, he received an answer.

“'m Ratchet.”

His spark seized.

**Author's Note:**

> I was going to continue this on, but since it's been over a year now with little progress and I'm horrible at multi-chaptered fics, I figure it's time to blow off the dust and just put it out there. Maybe I'll come back to it, but probably not. I've accomplished my main goal of Deadlock unwittingly tormenting Ratchet, sooo . . . yay. :)


End file.
